Ohio failing to keep pace in GDP growth(Springfield News Sun, June 8, 2012)Ohio's economy continued to grow last year, but it did not expand as fast as it did in 2010 and it failed to keep pace with the rest of the nation, according to new federal data.

An Ohio River City Comes Back to Its Shoreline(New York Times, June 5, 2012)The shoreline of this Ohio River city, which in the 19th century hummed with 30 steamboat visits a day but faded in the 20th as pollution and industrial disinvestment pushed people and businesses inland, is emerging again as a hub of civic and economic vitality.

Changes to job-creating project to resonate here(Springfield News Sun, June 8, 2012)The Dayton region has received nearly $128 million in Ohio Third Frontier funds since 2002, but emerging changes at the bipartisan economic development program have slowed the pace of statewide funding for the current fiscal year.

Editorial: Appropriate caution(Akron Beacon Journal, June 9, 2012)Faced with more than a dozen requests from oil and gas companies to tap its reservoirs for the 2 million to 6 million of gallons of water needed to drill each new well, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District last week called a halt to new sales. Wisely, the district's board chose to wait for the results of an independent study of water availability, then update its policies.

More border battles as communities search for cash?(Cincinnati Enquirer, June 10, 2012)Welcome to the latest episode of "Annexation Wars," a real-life drama laced with animosity, suspicion and rumors. It's playing out in Columbia Township, which is feeling the squeeze from Newtown on the eastern edge of Wooster Pike (U.S. 50) and Mariemont on the west.

State office gives boost to minority-owned businesses(Columbus Dispatch, June 10, 2012)In April, the Ohio Department of Development selected Anita Goodman to serve as deputy chief of its Office of Business Assistance, which operates minority business assistance centers in Columbus, Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Lima, Lorain, Toledo and Warren.

Trumbull County building officials say, however, there are signs that construction and renovation projects - a sure sign of economic health - are slowly rebounding. Perhaps the biggest investment coming online was the announcement last month that a $14 million Residence Inn and banquet center will be built at Eastwood Mall next year.

Rule to invest in Ohio slighted(Columbus Dispatch, June 10, 2012)State leaders wanted to attract money for high-risk yet potentially high-growth startup companies and create jobs, so they put up $130 million backed by state tax credits for private venture-capital firms.

Fracking in Ohio Sparks Real Estate Rebound: Mortgages(Businessweek.com, June 11, 2012)Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is bringing new development to the Midwest, creating demand for commercial real estate in the region even as landlords struggle to pay off earlier property loans.

Downtown is 'on the rise'(Middletown Journal, June 11, 2012)Middletown - along with cities like Philadelphia and Albuquerque, N.M. - was one of 11 cities named an All-America City in 1957. Fast-forward to 2008, and Middletown made the Forbes.com list of the 10 fastest-dying cities in the country

Edited and compiled by: Molly Schnoke, Center for Community Planning & Development, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University